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News in brief

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News in brief
Côte d’Ivoire currently has 24 women MPs (9.4 per cent) out of 255 parliamentarians, well below the regional average in Africa of 22.5 per cent

Towards gender parity in politics in Côte d’Ivoire

MPs, government officials and members of civil society pledged to achieve gender parity in politics in Côte d’Ivoire by 2020 at the end of a two-day Parliamentary Conference in Abidjan. Jointly organized by the Ivorian parliament and IPU, the meeting aimed to sensitize MPs and other political actors to the importance of a gender-equal parliament in building a more egalitarian society in all spheres. A series of recommendations were agreed upon to enhance women´s participation in parliament, including changing the electoral law to introduce quotas for women candidates.
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The Preparatory Committee of the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament will define the main objectives of the 2015 Conference.

Second meeting to prepare the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament

Parliamentary leaders will meet in New York on 17-18 November for the Second Preparatory Committee of the 4th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament. The Committee will define the main objectives of the 2015 Conference, its overall theme and main
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More than 60 MPs from 17 national parliaments reaffirmed in London their commitment to ensuring the ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)

MPs push for implementation and universalization of the Arms Trade Treaty

More than 60 MPs from 17 national parliaments reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring the ratification, implementation and universalization of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at a three-day conference in London organized by the British Group of IPU (BGIPU). The Conference
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Members of IPU´s Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MCNH) speaking with patients at a health center in Dien Bien Phu, Viet Nam

Strengthening the parliamentary response to HIV/AIDS in Viet Nam

An IPU Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS and Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MCNH) mission to Viet Nam will look at how the country's response to HIV and AIDS can be strengthened. The mission will include a workshop on HIV prevention
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Hunger map 2014

A parliamentary perspective on nutrition challenges and opportunities

MPs attending a Parliamentary Meeting in Rome on 18 November in parallel to the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) will have an opportunity to gather up-to-date information on nutrition related issues and to identify effective parliamentary action on implementing
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Egyptian parliamentary staff

Preparing for a new Egyptian parliament

IPU and Egyptian authorities are continuing work to put in place a fully functioning parliament in Egypt ahead of legislative elections in the near future. An IPU mission to the Arab country last week, part of a long-term programme of
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Malnutrition and stunting affect

Promoting child nutrition in Asia

MPs, parliamentary staff and members of civil society will meet in Vientiane, Laos, on 4-6 November to mobilize parliamentary action in support of child nutrition in Asia. Organized by IPU and UNICEF, with the support of the Scaling Up Nutrition
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Parliament of Burundi

Setting up a pension fund for MPs and parliamentary staff in Burundi

IPU and the Parliament of Burundi are working to set up a pension fund for MPs and parliamentary staff as part of efforts to ensure the effective administrative and financial autonomy of the Burundian parliament. An IPU expert mission to
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Tunisians voted on 26 October in parliamentary election

IPU praises Tunisia’s electoral transition to democracy

IPU has praised the successful holding of elections in Tunisia on 26 October as a critical milestone in the North African country’s transition to democracy. The elections, which passed off smoothly, build on continuing hopes for a peaceful and stable
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young mps

Taking democracy to task at the first ever IPU Global Conference of Young MPs

Some 120 MPs are meeting in Geneva on 10-11 October for the first ever IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians aimed at finding ways and means to ensure youth participation in politics. The Conference, “Taking Democracy to Task”, will involve
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Assembly

Election of new IPU president to take center stage of 131st Assembly

The election of a new IPU president will be one of the main highlights of a content-rich 131st Assembly in Geneva on 12-16 October. The new president will take over from Abdelwahad Radi, who ends his three-year mandate at the
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The WTO Public Forum

Post-Bali agenda: where does parliamentary oversight fit in?

MPs will meet in Geneva on 1 October for the Parliamentary session within the framework of the WTO Public Forum 2014 to address the oversight role of parliaments in the post-Bali agenda. The meeting takes place at a crucial time
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SDGs

IPU President calls on parliaments to consolidate influence on post-2015 agenda

IPU President Abdelwahad Radi has called on Member Parliaments to consolidate efforts to ensure parliaments keep playing a crucial role in the ongoing process to develop the post-2015 development agenda. He is encouraging Members to share with governments and constituents
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Protecting rights of indigenous peoples

Protecting rights of indigenous peoples – new tools for parliamentarians

Two new publications aimed at helping parliamentarians to promote and protect the rights of indigenous peoples and to inform the debate on indigenous political participation have been released. A new Handbook for Parliamentarians on Implementing the UN Declaration on the
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African MPs

Strengthening African parliaments work on human rights

African MPs will gather in Rabat, Morocco, on 29-30 September to find ways on how parliaments can contribute to promoting human rights at the national level and enhance the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). The meeting
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MPs and parliamentary staff from Asia-Pacific address the three most prevalent forms of violence against girls in the region: early marriage, sexual violence and domestic violence.

Ending the cycle of violence against girls in Asia-Pacific

MPs and parliamentary staff from the Asia-Pacific region are meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 23-25 September to find concrete ways to prevent and combat violence against girls at national level through legislation and its enforcement. During the three-day event "Ending
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong

Climate Summit 2014 – the parliamentary perspective

IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong will take part in the Climate Summit 2014 on 23 September in New York where world leaders will push forward efforts to reach an ambitious and legally binding global agreement on climate change. UN Secretary-General
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Zambian opposition MPs

Human rights mission to Zambia seeks to make progress on cases

An on-site mission to Zambia on 22-25 September led by the President of IPU´s Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians Juan Pablo Letelier will complete investigations on 18 cases involving opposition members of the National Assembly. The cases have
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Indigenous representation in parliament: challenges and opportunities

What are the challenges and opportunities in increasing the numbers of indigenous MPs? How can indigenous MPs effectively represent their constituencies? Where do parliaments fit in the broader picture of indigenous peoples’ political participation? These are questions to be addressed
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women MPs

Putting gender at the heart of parliamentary work in Burundi

MPs, parliamentary staff, government officials and representatives of civil society are meeting in Burundi to examine how to improve parliament´s capacity to mainstream gender issues in its work. At a three-day event organized by IPU and the Burundian parliament in
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